Ha! As long as they don’t criminalize tempeh, I think I’ll be fine 
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Meh. I’ve seen bigger.
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Eating plant-based foods, or following something Pollan’s been on about for ages…
… has many upsides. Fighting climate breakdown is one of them.
It is springtime where I live. Time to make spring rolls (not the fried kind, the raw veg-centric kind). I am a little late this year, I usually make them on Lunar New Year, but I’ve been really busy. They are incredibly easy to make if you have a sharp knife (or a box grater). Freshest possible ingredients are the key. And sriracha! I use slices of tempeh or tofu for one protein, and a dollop of peanut butter (plain–no sugar) as a secondary protein. One explainer:
… see also “salad rolls”:
If you can’t find rice paper wrappers where you live, just throw all ingredients into a bowl and chow down. I promise you, fish sauce is not necessary. If you want to fake up some nuoc mam, put some soy sauce or tamari in a side bowl with a dash of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, dilute the mix with a bit of water until it tastes ok to you, and use it for dipping sauce.
Pro tip: fresh ginger soaked in rice vinegar or ACV for a week in the fridge, with a tiny bit of honey, the jar shaken once a day, makes a good addition to this dipping sauce. And to making sushi rice (cooled).
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LOVE LOVE LOVE spring rolls with peanut sauce!
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Now I want spring rolls! We do ours with a spicy peanut dipping sauce
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Thank you, so inspiring!
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Is an ant a plant? Of course not. But these are!
Crosnes, Chinese artichokes, petrified grubs. A tuber-producing member of the Mint family. Another gardening experiment this year. I’ve never tried one before, but the plants are up and doing their thing, so we shall find out!
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Last time I went to China, there was plenty of streetfood in the major cities that featured variously cooked (all of the offerings were cooked, and nearly all salted) insects in all the phases one knows of insects: eggs, “grubs” ‘n’ larvae, squidgy pupae and “adults” WTFTM. If it’s not toxic and if it’s made outta protein, the Chinese have figured out centuries ago how to cook, season it, put it on a bamboo skewer, and eat it.
Since this is a plant-based eaters thread, I’ll just mention that most of the edible insects I’m referring to were plant eaters.
Lucky for me, whenever my relatives try to get me to eat non-vegetarian foods, I only have to play the typical sadly deluded American vegetarian and beg to be indulged for my eccentric ways (i.e. not eating animals/insects/etc.). Sometimes I’d get asked when was I planning to enter a Shaolin monastery, since that’s one ongoing culture in China well-known to stick to a vegetarian diet.
Most traditional Chinese simply don’t understand why anyone who has access to meat would ever choose not to eat meat. Famines are part of the [just barely] still-living memory in Chinese culture, and being picky about food is for rich people and for the… uh… unrealistic.
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I hadn’t thought of insects yet, in context of this thread. IMO, I am fine eating insects. I know we all do anyway…
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So, badass guac that you can dance to? 10/10, I’d try it.
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I’ve been using Instagram for cooking inspo lately. This salad was really good and tasted utterly different from anything I’ve had before. My wife wasn’t as enthused; maybe the roasted broccoli was a bit odd for her. I’m going to try it again with fresh or blanched brocolli, and maybe add another protein like nuts or roasted tofu.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4yesREqihB/
I have tried quite a number of her recipes and they usually turn out pretty good.
Besides “Saving” posts, has anyone found a good way to preserve them outside of the IG environment?
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Loads of traditional Italian (read peasant) food was vegan by default, olive oil, vegetables, fruits, grains and pulses could be grown with minimum investment (upfront, loads of work to cultivate) and stored for longer times, and lack of refrigeration means meat is not realistic as an every day food. Both meat and cheese had a small place in diets, but not an unlimited shelf life. I don’t think this is particularly unique, but probably lots of this sort of culture has been lost with progress.
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In China, the same.
And if there was any meat/fish around, it was often dried to increase shelf-life.
The thing is, I know about tofu. Most U.S.ians probably have at least heard of it.
I did not know much about chestnut flour and what one could do with it. I suppose the chestnut blight in North America is partly to blame. I want to make castagnaccio now.
I liked the baked chickpea flour crispy snack bread. I feel that having a fabulously hot wood oven would definitely improve the flavor, as these ovens so often do.
As with most meals, fresh ripe ingredients are such good insurance that the final plate will be delicious. I love the emphasis on the gardens and sourcing in the video.
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Yup, even French country cooking used to be largely vegetarian if not vegan.
Immigrants to the U.S. (back before it was the U.S. even) would send letters home to Europe talking about a diet that was mostly animal flesh and their families wouldn’t believe them. It was so foreign a concept, and they were concerned about the consequences of malnutrition for their loved ones.
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Oh wow that looks good. I love roasted broccoli. One of our go-tos in the winter months when using the oven a lot doesn’t matter. We’ll make a meal of roasted broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, and onions. Salt and oil, that’s it. Sometimes just the roasted veg, sometimes with hummus. Roasted broccoli and hummus is awesome.
We usually cook double the veg, because it is great the next day. Best slightly warmed (reheating to hot can change the texture) but room temp and even cold is good
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Last year I got addicted to roasted broccoli (roasting it dry) dipped in the chipotle Bitchin’ Sauce. Omg, soooo good.
Then the store stopped carrying the chipotle bitchin’ sauce. I found a decent recipe, but it’s a bit more of a hassle, so I broke my habit.
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If we get a decent chestnut harvest this year, flour is definitely on my “try it” list. Made chestnut butter last year, and have some ideas to make it better next time, but flour is thete as well.
ETA “butter” not “bitter” Betty would be so disappointed!
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Dinner yesterday. Spring Rolls Salad. Easy to put together. Mr. Chef-face had it together in 15. I would have taken me more like thirty. Would have been longer if he had cooked some tofu. Yummy spicy peanut dressing
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